Brand Strategy

Our strategy is the foundation of the UMaine brand and a guiding beacon for communicating as one University of Maine. Below is guidance on how to implement the strategy, which was developed through research, committee input, and feedback sessions held with a diverse range of campus stakeholders.

Explore

Positioning Statement

Thousands of colleges and universities enroll students every day across the country. There’s only one University of Maine. By defining our positioning statement, we concisely answer the questions forming the bedrock of our branding strategy:

What is the University of Maine?

Who do we serve?

What does the world need that we provide?

We answer:

The University of Maine is an inclusive community championing experiential learning and propelling students and graduates toward thriving futures.

Rooted in Maine’s heritage, we serve as a cornerstone of cultural enrichment, scientific advancement and community impact, proudly stewarding the Pine Tree State from mountains to coastline to ensure a vibrant tomorrow for Maine and beyond.

Distilled further:

The University of Maine ensures a vibrant tomorrow for Maine and beyond.

How to use this positioning statement:

Think of this statement like a camera: Everything we communicate and promote at UMaine should be done through the lens of this statement. This is an internal resource to guide the entirety of our marketing and communication efforts — holistically as a university and granularly into departments and programs. 

Strategic Drivers

These strategic drivers take our positioning statement a step further by asking “WHY?”

Why is UMaine a critical institution for Maine and beyond? What do we provide?

The answers reveal our institutional values and showcase the drivers of our university’s strategy. 

Climate Action: As stewards of our state, we advance learning and research toward tangible solutions to sustain our natural resources, confront climate change, and cultivate beauty in our world.

Evergreen Education: As Maine’s public research institution, we offer an educational experience that is dynamic, affordable and accessible to students from Maine and beyond.

Enable Curiosity: We’ll give you room to grow, to discover, to try, to fail. Join our students and faculty as they find inspiration across our beautiful state to solve problems.

Inclusive Community: We foster an inclusive and tight-knit campus environment tucked into a region that looks to our institution to drive learning and research for discovery and implementation of new solutions.

Made for Maine: As the cornerstone of Maine’s economy, we’re training the workforce of the future, investing in Mainers’ cultural enrichment, and driving business development across the state.

How to use these Strategic Drivers:

Again, these are an internal resource to help you frame your communication work. These drivers should serve as a flashlight for our communicators. The stories we tell and the messages we communicate should reflect these key reasons UMaine serves as the cornerstone for our regional community. 

  • Climate Action: If a story has a potential climate change, green energy, or climate adaptation angle, make sure to call it out and put it front and center. Use a line like, “As Maine’s climate action university…”

    Example: As Maine’s climate action university, our students and faculty are exploring new pathways for climate adaptation, reusing and repurposing natural resources, and finding creative solutions to the problems presented by ongoing climate change.
  • Evergreen Education: Students must associate UMaine with a high-caliber education at an affordable price. When writing about our education, ensure the terms “dynamic, affordable, and accessible” are used.

    Example: As Maine’s largest public research institution, we ensure our education is dynamic, affordable, and accessible to students of all backgrounds.
  • Enable Curiosity: When writing about educational, research, and extracurricular activities, take it a step further by articulating our active encouragement for students to explore, lead with curiosity, try new things, fail, and try again.
  • Inclusive Community: Don’t just talk about our community; show it. When you can, prioritize photos of groups, not individual students or faculty. Tell stories of students finding their fit at UMaine. We do things together here and have the stories to prove it.

    Example: Welcome to a university that prioritizes belonging and learning. With more than 100 student clubs on campus, extensive mentorship opportunities, and several themed housing communities, students find places to connect and thrive right away.
  • Made for Maine: Highlight Maine whenever we can — if a student is from Maine, say it! If a global research initiative originated in Maine, say it. If a piloted project is making an impact in Maine, say it. Double down on the amount of incredible work we produce for this state.

    Example: We’re proud to belong to the State of Maine and are tireless advocates of the farmers, foresters and fishermen who serve as the foundation of our local economy. With our eyes on the horizon and our roots planted deep into Maine soil, our brightest minds tackle our state’s biggest challenges.

Brand Pillars

How do we set ourselves apart from the noise? We drill into the fundamental reasons UMaine is unlike any other institution in the country. 

This trio of institutional values should quickly answer the question: “Why should I (apply to / work at / partner with / give to / etc.) UMaine?”

Exploration: We identify problems that need to be solved.

We seek out new problems and their solutions. With the natural world at our doorstep and a sea of problems to solve, our students and faculty come together to explore new paths forward.

Ingenuity: We creatively pursue new solutions.

Our community is full of creative minds who love to solve problems, whether it’s finding new ways to extend our natural resources, poring over great literature to rethink the challenges of today, or diving into ethical considerations in the business world. 

Collaboration: We discover and solve problems together.

We welcome and seek opportunities to work alongside each other. We take an interdisciplinary approach to our education and our lives — weaving together the best parts of learning, college life, and living in the beautiful state of Maine.

How to use these brand pillars:

Exploration. Ingenuity. Collaboration.

Allow these messaging pillars to become the framework for your storytelling, your email communications and more. Use them together or independently, but use them. Unlike our first two sections, these pillars are meant to be used publicly and regularly as we cement UMaine into the minds of our audiences.

Examples Related to Academic Programs:

  • Exploration: With more than 100 majors to choose from, students are encouraged to explore their academic interests and embrace an interdisciplinary approach to their education.
  • Ingenuity: No matter the program you choose, you’ll be prepared to tackle the greatest challenges of our time: addressing corporate greed with sound business ethics to embracing new ideas rooted in ancient thinkers to exploring new pathways toward sustainability.
  • Collaboration: At UMaine, we’re an interconnected community driven by shared passions and interests. Exploring Maine’s forested mountainsides and waterways instills deeper love for our blue planet. Cheering side-by-side at hockey games forges new friendships. The late-night debate and dialogue in residence halls sparks tomorrow’s classroom discussions. Here, we learn and play together.

Audience

Primary Audiences: Future and Current Students and Their Families

Defining the Demographic

  • Age: A broad swath of individuals, our current and future students range from seventeen-year-old high school students pursuing undergrad degrees to adults who support their families while engaging in masters and doctoral programs.
  • Location: While most are central to Maine or live in neighboring states, some travel great distances to become a Black Bear. Almost all have experienced Maine personally and have an affinity for the state.
  • Income: Our institution generally caters to students and families who operate outside of top income levels. We pride ourselves on affordability.

Questions Fueling Their Decision-Making

  • Future Students and Families
  • What does choosing UMaine say about me?
  • Can I picture myself being a UMaine student? Will I fit in?
  • Will this investment in my education and my future be worth it? 
  • What can I expect from the academic side of my experience?
  • What is the campus culture like at UMaine? What do people do for fun?
  • What sort of support/resources exist for students?
  • Will my degree equip me to make an impact on the problems and issues I’m passionate about?
  • Current Students and Families
  • Should I stay enrolled here? Does the benefit outweigh the cost?
  • How will UMaine support me as I pursue my career and postgraduate dreams?
  • What on- and off-campus experiences will propel me toward my future goals?
  • How are Black Bears changing the world to be a better place?
  • Will I have opportunities in Maine if I continue my education here?
  • Will I always belong at UMaine, even after I’ve graduated?

Secondary Audiences

What Drives Their Connection to the University of Maine?

  • Alumni & Donors
  • Aligned Missions: Collaborative commitment to addressing some of the world’s toughest problems.
  • Belief in Students and College: Today’s learners will become tomorrow’s leaders, and college is where this transformative work happens.
  • Nostalgia: Reminders of the past, student experiences, and campus traditions – especially those that live on today.
  • Faculty, Staff & Administrators
  • An Ethos of Impact: Their professional commitment and expertise make a difference in the lives of students, as do the research and products the university produces.
  • Recognition and Prestige: They are celebrated for their accomplishments and are highly respected in their fields of study.
  • Mentorship: They are motivated by working with students, cultivating their personal and academic growth, and watching them thrive beyond graduation.
  • Access and Funding: They have access to industry-leading equipment and the funding necessary to produce world-changing research.
  • Climate Action: Leading climate scientists are eager to join an R1 institution with a legacy of support and emphasis on climate research. 
  • Corporate & Nonprofit Partners
  • Access to Well-Prepared Grads: We provide a pipeline of talented, trained, and passionate young professionals to our business partners.
  • Support for Startups: We provide financial support and mentorships for early-stage startups in need of funding and counsel.
  • Access to Unique IP & Resources: UMaine holds licenses for niche sustainable technologies and offers access to university experts and world-class facilities.
  • Maine Legislature
  • Commitment to Maine: Funding UMaine’s research engine propels the state’s primary industries forward.
  • Commitment to Economic Development: The institution employs a significant number of Mainers and produces highly-trained graduates who contribute to the state’s economy.  
  • Commitment to Climate Action: Maine wants to be seen as a leader in green technology and climate adaptation solutions. As the state’s flagship and land-grant institution, UMaine’s stewardship of the region’s natural resources ensures a vibrant future for generations to come.
  • Community
  • Symbiosis: UMaine and residents of the state are intertwined; UMaine exists to serve, steward, and celebrate Maine while residents can join activities happening throughout the campus.
  • Community Space: UMaine serves as the hub for many of the athletics and entertainment events in the area, and the campus serves as a gathering space for many community events including farmer’s markets, road races, high school events, and more.

How to use these audiences:

We have diverse audiences and countless messages we want to convey.

It is critical to distill messages to the group that needs to hear it. Tailor your content. Consider what connects these individuals to the institution, what worries them, and what inspires them. As you write, think of someone specific in the audience you need to reach and write — personally — to that individual with heart and purpose.

Brand Framework

How do the various aspects of this brand platform tie together? The content formula below shows how to practically implement this brand strategy with your audiences across multiple platforms.

While this may seem especially relevant to prospective audiences — students, donors, and partners — we aspire for every segmented audience to receive regular messaging articulating who we are at UMaine, what we stand for, and why our work together matters.

Doing so puts our value at the forefront and builds affinity.

By Being…

(Brand Voice)

  • Stewards
  • Authentic
  • Dependable

Focused on…

(Strategic Drivers)

  • Climate Action
  • Evergreen Education
  • Enabling Curiosity
  • Inclusive Community
  • Service to Maine

And Acting Through…

(Messaging Pillars)

  • Exploration
  • Ingenuity
  • Collaboration

We Will…

(Positioning Statement)

Ensure a vibrant tomorrow for Maine and beyond.